Sources say David Cameron is trying to stifle Theresa May's ambitions by not
promoting her. But many think that May, who has been compared to Angela
Merkel and Margaret Thatcher, could be the next PM, reports Radhika
Sanghani

During the reshuffle, he failed to promote Theresa May from her position as the Home Secretary and, according to the Financial Times’s sources, it was deliberate.

He pulled several Tory women up the ranks, moving Liz Truss to environment secretary, Nicky Morgan to education secretary and allowing Esther McVey to attend cabinet meetings. But he left May exactly where she was.

Sources say he didn’t move her to Foreign Secretary because he wanted to stifle her leadership ambitions. It’s said he wanted to leave that path clear for his favoured successor, Chancellor George Osborne.

If the story’s true, it wouldn’t be that surprising. May is currently polled as the most popular cabinet member and, this month, she became the longest-standing Home Secretary in 50 years. She's clearly thriving in a job that’s arguably one of the most challenging in Government.

May for PM?

Political biographer Anthony Seldon thinks that's why Cameron has left her there - not because he feels threatened. "I think much more likely is that he’s always made a big thing about not being a big reshuffle person," he says. "Trusting people to get on with their jobs is a big part of Cameron’s style of premiership."

But political commentator, Charlotte Henry, thinks it's less strategic than that. “I can’t see where they’d move her to,” she says. “[If she was Foreign Secretary] she’d run around the world doing meetings and not the gritty stuff at home. It’s quite useful to have her doing battle here.

“She’s pretty powerful. Arguably, Home Secretary is the closest thing you get to deputising for the Prime Minister. A lot of people move from Shadow Home Secretary to Leader of the Opposition. She could be Prime Minister.”

Henry isn’t the only one who thinks that May could be PM. In a recent YouGov poll, May was the public’s second choice as Cameron’s replacement, following Boris Johnson (who, lest we forget,isn’t currently a politician). She beat Osborne and Michael Gove hands down.

May and Merkel don’t play the ‘woman’ card

May has also been compared to German Prime Minister, Angela Merkel.

“The British public have an incredibly positive opinion about Merkel, but I would see Theresa May’s strengths in the same way,” says Anthony Wells, assistant director of YouGov’s political team. “Merkel never looks like the life and soul of a party; she’s there for being competent and reliable and sensible. All those strengths that May seems to have."

May: 'not flashy', despite her shoe selection

The other similarity that the two have is they don’t tend to play up to their femininity, or use their gender to get ahead. Henry says that like Merkel, May isn’t very flashy. “I think that’s why everyone goes on about her shoes,” she says.

“She doesn’t do that sort of coquettish thing because she wants to be quite tough in that job. She’s never made it an issue, but I know she’s quite passionate to pursue issues that are important to women, like ending violence against them. She’s quite an intimidating figure. She’s very impressive when you see her in real life.”

She’s a serious leader

I agree. When I saw May speak on FGM at the recent Girl Summit,she was efficient and powerful. She lacked the friendly, open charm that Cameron showed when he spoke later in the day, but unlike the Prime Minister, her speech was primarily political.

In contrast, May did not discuss her personal life. She doesn’t have children and so couldn’t go down that path. But I have a feeling that, even if she were a mother, she would never discuss it in public. Her gender rarely impinges on her politics.

Wells agrees: “She's never come across as someone who plays on her gender. She’s seen as a serious leader. You wouldn’t invite her on Have I Got News For You and expect her to be funny – that’s not who she is.”

Come to think of it, you wouldn’t invite Merkel either.

Is May the next Thatcher?

Is May the next Thatcher?

Seldon disagrees with the idea that May doesn’t use her womanliness - but thinks she's like Merkel in doing so. “She is a feminine woman, but she’s probably conscious of her age and she can't compete with people who are being promoted 20 years younger,” he says.

“In a dignified way she uses it rather like an Angela Merkel in her work as a leader. It’s an important part of her self-image and identity, and what she’s trying to project.” He compares her too to Margaret Thatcher, who “used her female charm in the way she conducted her political life.”

He mentions the way May poses for occasional photographs, playing on her “femininity”. It’s not something I’ve ever picked up on – but she does always look well put together. And even though she's known for not being particularly fond of small talk, she is well-liked amongst her fellow MPs.

The most obvious way her gender might help her succeed is thanks to Thatcher's legacy.

“There’s such a worship of Margaret Thatcher in some quarters that they’re very ready to look for a strong female leader,” explains Wells. “There’s always that sense of, ‘she could be another Margaret’. It helps to have a potential future Conservative leader who’s a woman.”

Henry agrees: “A lot of Conservative women would quite like another Thatcher.”

It seems that May isn’t just a British Merkel – she’s could be the second-coming of Thatcher the Tory party so desperately wants.